They were nothing but Sixties Spice Girls, says historian.
After a 40-year hiatus, Beatles-bashing returns in all its glory today. In a new study, Cambridge historian David Fowler argues that the Fab Four didn’t do much for the shaggy youth but exploit it through "fan worship, mindless screaming" and the creation of a "passive teenage consumer." Like the Rolling Stones, Fowler says the Beatles weren't interested in being a mouthpiece for their generation—they were interested in selling records. Fowler’s shocking conclusion: the Beatles "did about as much to represent the interests of the nation's young people as the Spice Girls did in the 1990s."
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